The master´s programme Global Politics aims towards you who are interested in global political issues. You will learn how an increasing complex world, where the global and the local meet, presents us with new challenges and opportunities.
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The master´s programme Global Politics aims towards you who are interested in global political issues. You will learn how an increasing complex world, where the global and the local meet, presents us with new challenges and opportunities. The programme provides you with a solid practical base concerning concepts like justice, peace, security, power, culture and democracy. You will learn how to analyse conflicts, international relations and human rights claims and violations.

This is a multi-disciplinary programme with a core of political science which address aspects of international relations, human rights and peace and conflict studies. Focus lays on the transformation of society, especially concerning the relationship between the state and other actors such as international organisations and companies.

Changes in political control, from reduced central control towards a greater degree of network control will also be addressed. You will analyze the growing importance of international norms, such as human rights. The emergence of other conflict patterns than those related to socio-economic resources (such as culture, ideology and religion) is important parts of the courses.

What is Global Politics and Societal Change about?

These are turbulent political times. International power bases are shifting. Political, economic and military threats merge and reform, presenting new political challenges. Examples like China and Russia prompt us to rethink the widely held belief that democratic reform will follow on the heels of economic progress. In these days of the “war on terror” it is also more and more difficult to know what a war is, who fights it, how it starts and how it can end. In the meantime, global inequality is increasing. Half of the world’s population lives in severe poverty, many of them in conflict-ridden regions and/or under failing governments. Problems of development – malnutrition, poverty, preventable diseases – can be solved by a global effort, so why does it not happen?

The one-year master's programme in Global Politics and Societal Change will help you make sense of these issues. It will give you a solid theoretical base concerning the meaning and role of concepts like justice, peace, security, power, culture and democracy.

What makes the master programme unique?

The programme is thoroughly interdisciplinary and draws on the different strengths in the Department of Global Political studies, including International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Human Rights, Public Policy, but also Ethnography and Philosophy. It focuses specifically on the changing nature of global politics and pays particular attention to how new institutions and patterns of conflict and cooperation affects public policy on different levels, including the local level. In addition to advancing a more nuanced perspective on what ‘globalisation’ means, the programme extends to our understanding of politics as a continuous and often very complex interaction of decision-making, institutions, and advocacy on multiple levels.

What career will I be prepared for?

After graduation you will be well prepared for qualified social scientific analysis. You will be well equipped to work with issues like international aid, development, conflict prevention, foreign policy, and human rights fulfillment. You attain up to date skills based on the latest research combined with an ability to manage projects and communicate scientific knowledge to various social actors in the field.

Potential employers are international agencies, non-governmental organisations, local and national administration agencies and the diplomatic service. You will also be able to continue for research education studies at advanced and doctoral levels after completing your degree.

Spring 2019 - Semester 2

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the developing tendencies identified in the programme that relate to its overarching themes, including a qualified overview of current research on globalization and of how different processes on the global level relate to and affect societal changes on the local level

demonstrate knowledge and understanding of methodological approaches in the field of global studies and of their consequences for research outcomes.

Competence and skills

Following successful completion of the course students should be able to:

analyze complex phenomena and issues on the basis of different types of material.

autonomously identify gaps in knowledge, formulate issues and design research based on relevant theories and methods.

communicate research outcomes in speech and writing in a professional way to different audiences and recipients.

demonstrate the ability to participate in research dialogue and project work.

Judgement and approach

identify and reflect on ethical aspects on research.

evaluate research results on the basis of the parameters of reliability and generalizability for the purpose of estimating the limitations of research.

identify their personal needs for further knowledge and learning

Degree

Master's Degree (60 credits).

Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) with a major in Political Science